as in deserted
to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another
soldiers defected from the rebel army en masse as the failure of their cause became apparent
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defected (from)
Verb
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Fedorov, the new defense minister, acknowledges the scale of the problem, telling the Ukrainian parliament some 2 million people are ignoring their call-up papers, while 200,000 others have deserted.—
Andrew Carey,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026 -
In the end, in 1992, more than two-thirds of white people, motivated by fear and economic uncertainty, deserted the apartheid regime.—
Eve Fairbanks,
The Dial,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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According to the Humane Society of Greater Dayton, Derby and Summer are two Ohio terrier mix siblings who were part of a litter of six puppies discovered abandoned along a roadside and brought to a local shelter by a good Samaritan.—
Alex Perry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Feb. 2026
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Naturally, the remainder of the tour was abandoned and the royal couple immediately flew home from Kenya.—
Hope Coke,
Vanity Fair,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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More than 300 district judges in Minnesota and elsewhere have so far rejected the government’s mandatory detention policies, ordering detainees released or granted bond hearings.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
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That happened recently in Kansas City – where voters rejected a new stadium – and Philadelphia, where the team reversed its decision to build the arena near the city’s Chinatown.—
Gidon Jakar,
The Conversation,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This move could cut off some teachers, doctors, and other public workers from federal loan cancellation.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
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In Germany, for example, women are encouraged to cut off men's ties during festivities, and in Denmark, children dress up and collect candy in a tradition that mirrors Halloween.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Defected (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defected%20%28from%29. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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